Blue Flames
by jjjaskrox
Summary: Clare and Eli have been through quite a lot together such as the Vegas Night incident, Clare's rebellion towards her parents, and Eli's hoarding issue. Will their strong relationship survive the return of Fitz? Or is someone "In Too Deep"?
1. Chapter 1: The Memory Remains

***Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to Degrassi nor do I intend to misuse the material.***

**Chapter 1**

"_The Memory Remains"_

Winter was right around the corner as the end of fall approached. An icy breeze ruffled Clare Edwards' short, curly hair. She took a moment to run her fingers through her curls as she waited for Morty on the front doorsteps of her home. Already dreading the inevitable cold, she silently hoped that Toronto would hold back on its snow for once. Of course, that was almost as impossible as hoping for the new rules at Degrassi Community High School to change.

Ever since Vegas Night, Clare couldn't forgive herself for the events that occurred that day. It hadn't completely been her fault, but in some way she felt that she deserved part of the blame. Never before had Degrassi implicated strict rules such as the use of uniforms and what not.

Time had passed since the Vegas Night incident and so many other things had occurred. Recently Clare discovered that her boyfriend, Elijah Goldsworthy, had a severe case of hoarding. Because Eli was not completely over his deceased ex-girlfriend, Julia, those existing feelings took over his life. But his problem began improving as soon as Clare started to help him clean out his room, promising to never give up on him. Several weeks passed since Clare began helping Eli and already he had improved more than he could have wished for; he got rid of almost the whole mess in his room, his locker was tidy, and his heart was content.

Morty's rough engine broke Clare's train of thought. She looked up at the familiar sight of Eli's hearse. She gathered her school bag before walking up to the car and sighing happily. As she got into the passenger seat, Eli leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, making a light blush decorate her pale face.

"Nice day today," Eli made small talk as he drove away from the Edwards' household and headed for school.

"Perfect weather for some public embarrassment if I may add," Clare teased.

Eli snorted, "You haven't publically embarrassed me since the day we skipped English to work on our assignments."

"Yes, I perfectly remember the first day you negatively influenced me," Clare stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hey, whose idea was it for us to get matching piercings?" he retorted.

She stayed silent with defeat.

"Goldsworthy one, Edwards zero," he said triumphantly.

"No fair!" she whined.

"You're just a sore loser," he smirked.

Clare merely caught a side glimpse of that smirk and even so, the pit of her stomach did backflips. She loved that facial expression of his because no one else wore it as proudly as he did. Just then her cell phone vibrated and she flipped it open to find a text message from Adam. After reading it, she fidgeted uncomfortably with her phone and blurted out, "You know what? I think today is the perfect day for us to skip school. Don't you think? We can go on an urban adventure somewhere or we can go to The Dot or-"

"Or you can stop rambling and calmly tell me why you suddenly feel the desire to skip school," Eli supplied suspiciously.

"No reason. I just think-"

"Clare, just tell me what's wrong," he said kindly.

"Well umm, Adam just texted me that umm-"

He purposely sighed noisily, "Spit it out Edwards."

Clare couldn't find the right words to tell Eli what Adam texted her. She knew perfectly well how he would react. For their sake, she would stall a while until Morty was fully parked and they would be out of harm's way.

"It's really nothing," she said nonchalantly.

"Does 'nothing' usually make you this jumpy?"

"I'm not being jumpy!"

"Come on, just tell me. You'll feel better."

"I feel impeccably fine," she looked out the window. "So since you're turning the corner here I guess we are going to school after all?" she asked nervously.

"Since you refuse to tell me what's wrong, I will refuse to skip school with you. Besides, Mrs. Dawes will wonder why her favorite pair of English partners is absent," he quickly winked before focusing back on the road.

"You're no fun. You know that?"

He chuckled and shook his head, "The suspense is really killing me."

They arrived at Degrassi and Eli parked his car in the first space he could find. When he turned off the ignition he turned to look at Clare. "Now can you please tell me what's up?"

Focusing on her phone, she looked away and said, "Just don't blow a casket, okay?"

Eli grinned, "Have I ever overreacted?"

Clare giggled, "I'm not going to even answer that Mr. I think I'll slip-,"

"Thanks Clare, thanks," Eli wore a serious expression while remembering the Vegas Night chaos.

Clare regretted reminding him of the fact that he slipped Ipecac in Fitz's drink which caused him to vomit. The gesture scared her more than Eli thought it had. It showed her that somewhere within him, he really did have a dark side. Although he drives a hearse, wears dark clothing and colors his nails black, Clare saw that as his style and not as a part of his personality like mostly everyone did. But after he poisoned Fitz's drink, she couldn't help but wonder if that side of him was still hiding beneath his sarcastic charm.

"I'm sorry for bringing that up but you walked right into it," she said.

He looked at her with a shrug, "I did overreact I guess. But don't think I've forgotten what you're keeping from me. What did Adam text you?"

She took a deep breath. "Adam saw Fitz at The Dot."

Just as she predicted, his face became outraged. "Why would they let that Neanderthal off the hook? What kind of system do we have? He could have killed me or you for that matter!" he spat sourly.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Eli calm down. This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you."

"I can't help it. The guy insulted you with that curse word and then he- what if he actually meant to kill me-"

"Quit it! That's in the past and it's not going to happen again. The bell is going to ring soon so we should head to class," she said while scrambling out of the car. Thankfully he got out of Morty as well and joined her.

They walked hand in hand out of the parking lot. When they reached the front steps to the school, Eli stopped in his tracks. Clare was busy complaining about her parents' latest fight that she didn't notice that he stopped walking with her. Soon she realized they were no longer holding hands and turned back. She gave him a questioning look only to see that he was looking past her. She followed his gaze and spotted Mark Fitzgerald.


	2. Chapter 2: Change Your Mind

***Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to Degrassi nor do I intend to misuse the material.***

**Honest opinions are welcome. =]**

**Chapter 2 **

"_Change Your Mind" _

Fitz was sitting on the front steps of the school, talking to his friends Owen Milligan and Bianca DeSousa. Owen was first to notice that Eli and Clare were watching them so he tapped Fitz and pointed at them. Fitz turned and greeted Eli with a twisted and taunting look, but then focused his attention on Clare and smiled. _Fitz smiled?_

"Eli, don't do anything rash," Clare whispered, taking hold of his hand again. Eli looked at her meaningfully. "Please?" she added with widened eyes.

Eli couldn't help but smile at his blue-eyed girl. "I won't," he whispered back.

Still holding hands, they headed to the steps and walked right by Fitz and his friends without acknowledging them. After being searched at the entrance, Eli marched to his locker, yanked it open, grabbed his stuff, and slammed the locker closed. Clare just watched in silent horror.

"Any more aggression and you'll find yourself in detention Mr. Goldsworthy," a voice said from behind them.

They turned around and found their best friend, Adam Torres, laughing. "I'm guessing you told Eli what I texted you?"

"He saw it with his own eyes as well," Clare said nervously as she glanced at Eli whom was being far too quiet.

"You saw him at The Dot also?" Adam asked.

"No... He's here," Clare mumbled.

"What is he doing here?" Adam couldn't believe that Fitz was not only out of jail but also back at Degrassi.

"I have no idea! I guess they could only suspend him for so long," Clare suggested.

"Didn't he go to jail?" Adam asked; he was sure it hadn't been a rumor.

"I didn't go to jail," Fitz appeared beside Clare.

"Well thanks for clearing that up. Can you go away now?" Adam said angrily.

Clare looked at Fitz who didn't move. Then she looked at Eli; his look was intense and his body was stiff, almost like he was getting ready to pounce…

"I need to talk to Clare," Fitz said seriously. She opened her mouth to protest but Eli beat her to it.

"You don't need to say jack shit to her. Understand?" Eli growled.

"Relax Emo Boy, it'll only take a few minutes," Fitz glowered at Eli.

"Whatever you have to say to her can be said in front of me," Eli stood his ground, taking hold of Clare's hand; Fitz remained silent.

"Eli it's okay. I'll be right back," Clare assured him. His grip on her hand tightened a bit.

"We won't take long," Fitz said nicely to Eli whom wasn't buying any of it.

"You're not going anywhere with him," Eli tried to control his voice.

Clare rolled her eyes, "I doubt he's going to try to stab me after everything that happened."

Fitz laughed but stopped when Clare raised an eyebrow at him; he put his hands up in defeat. Adam supplied unwillingly, "Eli the bell is going to ring soon anyway."

Eli let go of Clare's hand and pinched the bridge of his nose with frustration. "I'm going to be right here. If he tries anything-"

"I'll be fine," Clare patted his arm before walking away with Fitz. They turned a corner and stopped walking. "What do you want?" Clare asked Fitz seriously.

Fitz stuttered a little, "I'm-I'm sorry. I screwed up. I seriously wanted to scare your boyfriend and that was it. I never meant to hurt you especially when I called you a bitch." Fitz looked down.

Clare chewed the side of her cheek and nodded. "You really scared us."

"I know that's why I'm really sorry. The weeks I spent in suspension made me realize that I've been wrong. I really want to stop being known as Degrassi's bully," Fitz explained.

"Are you being serious? You want to stop being a bully?" Clare asked curiously.

"I really do Clare. I don't want to be this big tough guy anymore. I just want to be a regular student here," Fitz looked at her but she looked away quickly.

"I don't know if I should believe you," she admitted.

"I know it's strange of me for even saying this, and not to mention its very lame, but I want to start all over," he leaned against some lockers, putting his hands in his pocket.

"Well that's good. I hope you the best and I hope you've learned your lesson. Stay away from Eli and Adam this time and they'll stay away from you," she nodded at him and tried walking away but he stopped her.

"That's not all I wanted to talk to you about," he said in a rushed manner.

She crossed her arms, "What else is on your mind?"

The bell rang for class and Fitz hesitated for a moment before saying, "Can we talk after school? I mean, will your boyfriend be cool if I talk to you later?"

Clare shrugged, "I don't know how he'll take it but I'll let you know." With that she walked away without another word.

She reached Eli's locker where she had left him and Adam; a frown formed on her face. Eli was sitting on the ground by himself. _Where was Adam?_ As soon as she approached him, Eli stood up.

"What took you so long?" he asked nervously.

"Don't exaggerate, that only took a moment," she shook her head.

"Well?" he inquired.

"Well, he said he wants to change. He also wants to stop being a bully-"

Eli broke into laughter. "You don't believe him, do you?"

She crossed her arms, "I can't judge him until he tries."

"Are you kidding? The last thing he'll ever do is stop being a tormenter! You know that better than anyone else," he threw his hands up in the air.

Clare thought it over and decided to not mention the fact that Fitz wanted to talk to her after school, at least until Eli would be in a better mood. She took his hand. "Walk me to class," she smiled brightly. He returned the smile and reluctantly stayed off the Fitz subject. "Where's Adam?" she asked curiously.

"He saw Princess Fiona Coyne arrive and fled the scene. You know they haven't talked since she blew him off and never showed up at that outdoor party he set up for her," Eli answered gloomily.

"Poor Adam. Why would she do that to him? I thought she liked him." Clare was just as confused about that situation as Eli was.

"Yeah getting dissed by the girl you like isn't the best feeling," he sighed.

The way Eli said that last thing made her wonder if Julia had ever done that to him. "Were you ever dissed by-"

"Don't," Eli warned her.

She froze for a second and then shook it off. She felt awful for almost bringing up Julia. She knew very well how sensitive he was to the mention of her name and there she was asking about her.

They stopped in front of Clare's first class and looked at each other carefully. Clare lost herself in Eli's soft, green eyes. There was a hint of longing in the way he observed her which added color to her cheeks for the second time that morning. He noticed her flush and didn't hesitate to redden it by leaning in and stopping just inches from her face.

"I would kiss you right now if these no-PDA rules weren't in effect," he breathed close to her lips which made them slightly part.

"You are such a tease," she placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away from her face. He bowed down in the dorkiest way possible and trailed off to his own class.


	3. Chapter 3: Bite My Tongue

***Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to Degrassi nor do I intend to misuse the material.***

**Chapter 3**

"_Bite My Tongue"_

During her first class, Clare could not keep her mind off of what Fitz informed her. Why had he even bothered to tell her? They were never friends to begin with. Even so, she was too nice of a person to not care that he intended to modify his life style. Did she believe that he wanted to change or was she considering what Eli said? _The last thing he'll ever do is stop being a tormenter! _His words rang in her head along with Fitz's, _the weeks I spent in suspension made me realize that I've been wrong. I really want to stop being known as Degrassi's bully. _

Then she wondered how Eli was feeling. Even though he refused to admit it to Clare, she knew that he was still shaken up by Fitz's attempt to scare him. She pondered all through class not even paying attention to the lesson. That was a first…

Later on during their lunch break, Eli and Adam discussed a comic they recently read while Clare ate her food in silence. She was so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed that both boys were staring at her.

"_Edwards_?" Eli's sing-song voice brought her back to reality.

"What?" she managed to respond.

"So are you in?" Adam asked eagerly.

"For…?" Surely he didn't want to hang out after school…

"I rented a couple of movies for us to watch tonight at my place. There will be a lot of comedy and action," he smiled animatedly.

"Sounds like a lot of fun but it's a school night," she frowned.

"Come on Clare, _live dangerously_," Eli taunted her. A smirk formed on his face as he reminded her of her rebellion days which had not been too long ago.

"I have a ton of homework," she answered.

"You can do your homework during study hour," Adam suggested.

She was lost for words. How else would she be able to speak to Fitz after school if her friends were insisting her to hang out with them? _And yes_, she had just decided that she was going to give Fitz a chance to talk to her but didn't plan on telling Eli… or Adam for that matter.

"Give it up Adam, she's not giving in," Eli stated slowly, he peered at her from the corner of his eye.

"I'll join you next time. Consider it a guy's night," she nodded at Adam whom sighed.

After lunch, the three of them walked to English class together. Adam walked in before Eli and Clare per usual, preferring to not be their third wheel. Eli studied Clare for a second before placing a hand on her cheek. "What's wrong?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Nothing, why?" She bit her tongue, hoping he wouldn't further investigate her.

"Geeze I don't know, maybe because you sat through all of lunch without saying much and you even turned down movie night. I wonder."

She tried to brush it off, "I was just thinking about my homework."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "That's it? You haven't been thinking about Fitz?"

She chuckled, "Why would I be thinking about him? The last time I checked, you're my boyfriend, not him." She grabbed the hand he had on her cheek and squeezed it.

He smirked, "Well I wasn't exactly referring to _that_ but I'm glad you're not thinking about him."

"Mr. Goldsworthy and Miss. Edwards are you going to hang out in the hallway or are you going to take your seats?" Ms. Dawes poked her head out of the classroom.

"Just one second," Eli smiled.

"I don't think so," she smiled back at him and went to her desk.

Unwillingly, Eli went inside with Clare following right behind him. Adam glanced at Clare as she took her seat beside him. He could tell she was flustered and maybe a bit embarrassed.

"Were you caught?" Adam wrinkled his nose at Clare.

She gave him an appalled look, "Were we caught at PDA? No!"

Eli, from his seat in front of Clare's, turned around to wink at Adam and who pretended to gag. Clare shook her head and was about to defend herself when Ms. Dawes began instructing. Throughout class, Clare kept glancing nervously at the clock. Only two classes were left for the day and she was becoming ever so eager for English to end. When the bell finally rang she jumped in her seat. Adam raised an eyebrow at her without saying anything. He headed to his next class, allowing Clare and Eli to walk alone.

Eli cleared his throat, "I can't stop worrying about why you have been acting weird."

"There's nothing to worry about," Clare assured him.

He shook his head, "You are one strange little person Clare." She winked at him and they separated to go to their next classes.

About two hours later, Clare practically ran to her locker. She needed to find Fitz and tell him that she was going to listen to what he had to say. It pained her to think that Eli would not like what she was going to do but what he didn't know couldn't hurt him… right? She hastily grabbed what she needed from her locker and headed down the hall where she knew Fitz's locker was.

Fitz was walking away from his locker with his eyes on his phone. Clare stopped in front of him which caused them to slightly collide.

"Clare," he let out a long breath, "I thought I was going to have to punch someone for bumping into me."

She cocked her head to the side, "So you were kidding about quitting the bully act?" She noticed the small hint of disappointment in her voice.

"What I said right now was a joke. But what I said to you earlier was truthful," he hesitated to defend himself but stopped. "So am I going to be able to talk to you or-"

"Can we go to The Dot?" Clare asked abruptly. The last thing she needed was for Eli to find her talking to Fitz in the hallway.

Fitz blinked a few times, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah… I'm interested in hearing what you have to say."

He thought it over for a second, "Is it okay if I drive us there or will Eli have a hissy fit?"

"Please, no more rude comments about Eli. And would you mind driving?" she mentally kicked herself for asking him if he could drive them to The Dot. If Eli were to find out that she was considering going in a car with Fitz, he would most likely flip that casket she asked him to not flip in the morning.

"Nah I don't mind," Fitz shrugged, heading for the school's exit. Clare hesitated for a moment. He looked back and sighed, "Eli doesn't know, does he?"

Clare shook her head slowly. Hearing it out loud only made her feel guiltier for keeping it from Eli.

"How about you meet me in the parking lot?" Fitz slightly smiled and walked away before Clare could answer.

It struck her oddly that he had been nice enough to understand that it would be best if they weren't seen leaving the school together. She walked to Eli's locker where she found him in deep conversation with Adam. When they saw her, Adam began to laugh. "See I told you she didn't forget about you!" He patted Eli on the back, waved at Clare, and stalked off to his own locker.

"Aww you thought I forgot about you?" Clare teased Eli, hoping she would stop feeling so guilty.

Eli pouted, "Not at all." He stuck his tongue out at her just like she normally would do to him, causing her to grin.

"I have to go now but I'll call you later," she said suddenly.

He stared at her and nodded, "Call me any time you want. Are you walking home because I can drop you off-"

"No its okay," she said too quickly, he raised an eyebrow as she continued; "I'm getting picked up."

She gave him a swift hug and exited the school. She felt horrible for lying to him but there was nothing else she could have said. Once in the parking lot, it only took her a second to spot Fitz's car. There was nothing else like it. It was a black Mustang that desperately needed a new paint job. Fitz sat in the driver's seat listening to a rock station. Clare startled him when she opened the passenger door and peered in.

"Dang Clare, it's the second time you appear out of nowhere," Fitz chuckled. "You can get in, I promise I won't bite."


	4. Chapter 4: Open Your Eyes

***Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to Degrassi nor do I intend to misuse the material.***

**Chapter 4**

"_Open Your Eyes"_

Clare and Fitz arrived at The Dot within ten minutes. The car ride was awkward for Clare because Fitz tried to act as if they were great friends when in reality, they could never be any such thing. While Eli continued to despise Fitz, Clare could not betray him by becoming his friend; it just wouldn't be right.

They sat down at a table by the entrance. Clare nervously tapped her fingers on the table, hoping that no one else from school would show up, _especially_ Eli and Adam.

Fitz ordered their coffee and refused to allow Clare to pay for hers. He was only making it a little harder for her to hate him. When their drinks came by, Fitz stifled a laugh as he observed Clare. Her cheeks reddened as she wondered what was so funny about her face.

"Clare, what are you scared of?" Fitz finally spoke.

"I'm not scared," she mumbled.

"Sure you're not. You've been taping your fingers and glancing at the entrance every five seconds. Are you seriously afraid that Eli will find you having coffee with his arch nemesis?" he asked mockingly.

"Fitz, don't start," Clare said sternly.

He looked at her innocently and shook his head. "You're so naïve."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, you act like Eli is your owner or something. You had to come here with me in secret because you know that your defensive boyfriend would be angry if he found out who you're with. Face it, you're afraid of upsetting him," Fitz continued to ramble on but Clare zoned him out. She pushed her coffee away, collected her book bag and headed for the door but Fitz blocked her path. "Don't leave. I thought you should know what everyone else thinks."

She froze and looked up into his eyes. "What in the world are you talking about?"

He looked back into her eyes. "People have been talking. There were witnesses when Eli freaked out on you for cleaning his locker-"

She put a hand up to stop him. "_That _has nothing to do with any of this! Its rather personal and you and all of the other gossipers have no business-"

It was his turn to cut her off. "Aren't you even wondering how I know about that event? I wasn't around at that time, remember?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Your delinquent buddies probably told you."

He frowned this time. "I repeat, you are naïve."

She then stormed out of The Dot because she was sick of his sardonic comments. Although she should have known that he would follow her out. He tried to place a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it away.

"This was a mistake," Clare said loudly, hoping the whole neighborhood could hear her as they stood right outside of The Dot.

"I heard about the incident with Eli's locker from this blog that some anonymous person made up," Fitz called back, making Clare stop in her tracks. She kept her back to him, waiting for him to continue. "This random person suggests that Eli treats you like his puppet. He's treated you horribly and you run back to him and pretend nothing ever-"

"That's it!" Clare turned around to face Fitz. His look was intense but it could not beat her look of rage. "Those are all rumors! None of it is true. That blogger has no business writing about mine and Eli's relationship. Well yes, Eli flipped out a little when I cleaned his locker out but that was only because he has a hoarding issue," she placed her hand over her own mouth, appalled with herself for spilling Eli's secret.

Fitz stepped back and began to laugh. "Emo Boy is a hoarder? Ah man, this just keeps getting better and better!"

"Shut up idiot!" She tightened her fists and fought back the urge to punch him in the face. She felt so stupid for believing that he was willing to change. She even felt stupider for the fact that she had lied to Eli just to talk to this inconsiderate jerk.

Fitz took a few steps towards Clare, placing a hand on her arm. Her body felt immobilized with Fitz's touch and her eyes immediately shut tightly. If he was going to hurt her, she would be learning her lesson the hard way. Strangely though, instead of pain she felt relief. Fitz spoke softly, "Did _St. Clare_ just call me an idiot? I think we should be expecting a heavy rainstorm just for that," he joked, keeping his grasp on her arm light and comforting. "I'm sorry, again. I just can't stand Eli just like he can't stand me. But I promise I won't mention to anyone about his-"

"Clare?" A familiar voice called out from a short distance. Her heart skipped a beat when it automatically registered whom the voice belonged to. She was afraid to open her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5: Told You So

***Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to Degrassi nor do I intend to misuse the material.***

**Chapter 5**

"_Told You So"_

Hesitantly, Clare allowed her eyelids to lift and she spotted Eli's look of betrayal upon his pale face. Adam stood right beside him and also glowered at Clare with the same wounded eyes as his best friend. She looked up at Fitz whom still had a hold of her arm and was much closer to her face than she had expected and known. He quickly released her arm and stepped aside.

"Oh. Sorry to interrupt. Adam and I were just about to get some grub for our guy's night. It's a good thing you're already done with your_ homework_, Clare." Eli struggled to keep his voice under control. Clare opened her mouth to speak but he spoke first. "Thanks for lying to us."

Eli made the tiniest flinch of a leg, as if to run forward and tackle Fitz. Adam mechanically pushed Eli back with force that surprised him. Eli glared at his friend for a second and then said to the floor, "Don't let us stand in the way of your fun. Continue whatever the hell you were doing."

Clare tried to make a sound, any sound, but her throat was shut tight. As a result, she rushed at Eli and attempted to grab his hands but he scooted aside and allowed her to tumble into Adam. She looked into Adam's eyes and mouthed the words _help me_. Adam released her and shook his head sadly. Clare looked up at Eli but he avoided her eyes.

"Fitzy boy is waiting for you over there," Eli said angrily, gesturing at Fitz whom stood dumbfounded and rooted to his spot.

Clare finally managed to clear her throat and said hoarsely, "Eli, we were talking. That's it."

He chuckled sarcastically, "When did you become friends with him?"

"We're not friends. We're not enemies. I was just-"

"Save it Clare. You don't owe me any explanations. Let's go Adam."

Clare tried to stop him but Eli was too quick for her. He and Adam disappeared down the sidewalk and Clare was left standing alone. He hadn't even given her a chance to fully explain the situation.

"Clare I-" Fitz started but she cut him off with a piercing look.

"Not right now," she mumbled.

She turned her back on him and made her way home. The last thing she wanted to do was to listen to Fitz say _I told you so_ or something of the sort.


End file.
